No.14 Ampthill and Highworth Emporium in Muddy Stilettos awards

Make sure your vote sticks, Muddy Stilettos poll closes this Sunday

 

Time to stick your stiletto where it counts – a raft of indie greetings retailers have made it through to the Muddy Stilettos finals and need your votes by Sunday to get them over the line.

Spread across 28 areas, in three of the 27 categories – Best Art Gallery, Best Bookshop, and Best Lifestyle Store – the retailers all sell cards alongside their main offer, and are proud to be in the running as Muddy Stilettos celebrates a decade of helping promote the most exciting indie business and High Streets.

Above: Aga and the Highworth Emporium team are delighted and hoping for votes
Above: Aga and the Highworth Emporium team are delighted and hoping for votes

All nominations are made by members of the public, championing originality, creativity and quality, and the awards have become among the most coveted for small independent lifestyle businesses across the country.

“Whoop! Whoop! We’re super proud to be Muddy finalists,” Aga Marsden cheered from Highworth Emporium near Swindon. “We’re absolutely delighted to be a finalist in the Best Lifestyle Store category in Wiltshire – even more so that this nomination was achieved thanks to our wonderful customers!”

And in the Herts & Beds area, No.14 Ampthill is also a Best Lifestyle Store contender, with owner Jo Barber “so pleased” at the nomination, and she added: “How amazing is that! I was having a rubbish day when the email dropped, and it completely lifted my spirits.”

Above: Fans of No.14 Ampthill are being asked to vote for the store
Above: Fans of No.14 Ampthill are being asked to vote for the store

Voting for the awards closes on 4 June 2023 at 11.59pm – the list of finalists across the three categories which include card sales is below. To make sure your favourite gets your vote click here  and pick your county, enter your email address and choose the category, then pick your top finalist and enter. You’ll then receive an email to verify your choice, click through to confirm to make your vote count.

MUDDY STILETTOS AWARDS FINALISTS 2023

BERKSHIRE

ART SPACE

The Base, Greenham

R Young Art Gallery, Wokingham

Clarendon Fine Art, Windsor

Alan Kluckow Fine Art, Sunningdale

Castle Fine Art, Reading

BOOKSHOP

Newbury Bookshelf, Newbury

The Little Bookshop, Cookham

Hungerford Bookshop, Hungerford

Crunch Comics, Reading

Quench, Wokingham

LIFESTYLE STORE

Marmalade, Hungerford

The Live Well, Caversham

Kiki & Bow, Pangbourne

NOOD Stores, Caversham

The Corner Shop, Woolhampton

 

BUCKS & OXON

ART GALLERY 

Carina Haslam Gallery, Gt Missenden

Meakin + Parsons, Oxford

MK Gallery, Milton Keynes

West Ox Art Gallery, Bampton

Modern Art Oxford, Oxford

BOOK STORE

Mostly Books, Abingdon

Chapter 2, Chesham

The Wallingford Bookshop, Wallingford

The Book House, Thame

Jonkers Rare Books, Henley

LIFESTYLE STORE

Su Chases, Amersham

Last, Haddenham

Bull + Tash, Chesham

Edie + Po, Thame

Gilt & Grain, Abingdon

 

CORNWALL

ART GALLERY 

Penlee House Gallery And Museum, Penzance

Byre Gallery, Millbrook

Kim Potter Art, Hayle

Jackson Foundation Gallery, St Just

Cornwall Contemporary, Penzance

BOOKSHOP

The Edge Of The World Bookshop, Penzance

Hurley Books, Mevagissey

Shrew Books, Fowey

The Old Bookshop, Looe

Stir, Wadebridge

LIFESTYLE STORE

Teylu Trading, Newquay

Coast, Mousehole

Just Lily, Porthleven

The Byre, Launceston

 

DEVON

ART GALLERY

KARST, Plymouth

Burton At Bideford, Bideford

Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton

Magenta Fine Art, Ilfracombe

The Mad Cow Gallery, Plympton

BOOKSHOP

The Bookery, Crediton

East Gate Bookshop, Totnes

Owl & Pyramid Bookshop, Seaton

Arcturus Books, Totnes

Dogberry & Finch, Okehampton

LIFESTYLE STORE

Bøde Living, Sidmouth

Me & East, Totnes

Brogan Buzec, Seaton

Leela, Tiverton

Storeys & Tails, Bideford

 

DORSET, SOMERSET & BRISTOL

ART GALLERY

Heritage Courtyard Gallery & Studios, Wells

The Whittox Gallery, Frome

Sladers Yard, West Bay

Studio 74, Bristol

The Holburne Museum, Bath

BOOKSHOP

Bailey Hill Bookshop, Castle Cary

Gullivers Bookshop, Wimborne

Winston’s Hunting Raven Books, Frome

Little Toller Books, Beaminster

Lyme Regis Bookshop, Lyme Regis

LIFESTYLE STORE

Prior Shop, Bristol

Andrassy Living, Ilminster

Cherryade Life Store, Poundbury

Solsken, Frome

Make By Mary Temperley, Hambridge

 

ESSEX

ART GALLERY

Art Exchange, Colchester

Chelmer Fine Art, Chelmsford

Firstsite, Colchester

Nicky Gayle, Chelmsford

Whimbrelart, Tollesbury

BOOKSHOP

Caxton Books, Frinton On Sea

Chicken And Frog, Brentwood

Hart’s Books, Saffron Walden

Maldon Books, Maldon

Red Lion Books, Colchester

LIFESTYLE STORE

Beatrice & Lilly, Rochford

Blume, Rayleigh

Little Boat Gifts, Brightlingsea

Suzi M, Chelmsford

Vintage Style Living, Thaxted

 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE & WORCESTERSHIRE

ART GALLERY

Cotswold Sculpture Park, Somerford Keynes

Three Storeys, Nailsworth

Nature In Art, Gloucester

Cotswold Contemporary, Cirencester

New Brewery Arts, Cirencester

BOOKSHOP

Fireside Bookshop, Stroud

Octavia’s Bookshop, Cirencester

Borzoi Bookshop, Stow-On-The-Wold

Rossiter Books, Cheltenham

The Cleeve Bookshop, Bishop’s Cleeve

LIFESTYLE STORE

The Curated Store, Stow-On-The-Wold

The Cotswold Snug, Moreton-In-Marsh

Betsy Benn, Cheltenham

The Malthouse Collective, Stroud

Emporium Gifts, Cheltenham

 

HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT

ART GALLERY

Chalk’s Gallery, Lymington

Seaview Art Gallery, Seaview

Forest & Cove, Romsey

Cowes Gallery, Cowes

Palais Des Vaches, Exbury

BOOKSHOP

The Imaginarium, Lymington

Medina Books, Cowes

One Tree Books, Petersfield

Goldfinch Books, Alton

October Books, Southampton

LIFESTYLE STORE

The Hambledon, Winchester

Niche, Denmead

H&B Style, Winchester

Overton Gallery, Overton

No.64 Biscuit House, Milford-On-Sea

 

HERTFORDSHIRE & BEDFORDSHIRE

ART GALLERY

Eagle Gallery, Bedford

Courtyard Arts, Hertford

The Wynd Gallery, Letchworth Garden City

Gallery 1066, Baldock

Broadway Gallery, Letchworth Garden City

BOOKSHOP

Next Page Books, Hitchin

Chapter 25, Barton-Le-Clay

The Book Nook, Ware

BOOK, Leighton Buzzard

Our Bookshop, Tring

LIFESTYLE STORE

No.14, Ampthill

Maggie J & Co, Tring

Blush Gifts And Home, Stevenage

Wild Ivy, Hitchin

Proven-Salle, Bedford

 

KENT

ART GALLERY

Fourth Wall, Folkestone

Under The Rainbow Events, Bluewater, Dartford

Lilford Gallery, Canterbury

Artique Gallery, Tunbridge Wells

Don’t Walk Walk, Deal

BOOKSHOP

The Folkestone Bookshop, Folkestone

The Classroom Children’s Bookshop, Westgate-On-Sea

Sevenoaks Bookshop, Sevenoaks

Catching Lives, Canterbury

Tales On Market St, Faversham

BEST LIFESTYLE STORE

Platform, Canterbury

Made In Ashford, Ashford

Luxe Vida, Tunbridge Wells

Rock Paper Scissors, Canterbury

Gift Edition, Sevenoaks

 

LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND

ART GALLERY

Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

Wistow Gallery, Wistow

Atkins Building, Hinckley

Adore Fine Art, Leicester

Wingates Gallery, Market Harborough

BOOKSHOP

Kibworth Books, Kibworth

Quinns Bookshop, Market Harborough

Fox Books, Leicester

The Rutland Bookshop, Rutland

Old Curiosity Book Shop, Hathern

LIFESTYLE STORE

Freckles Gifts, Barrow Upon Soar

Charlie & Alf’s, Oadby

The Home Of Handmade, Woodhouse Eaves

Ssnug Living, Market Harborough

Harriman And Co, Leicester

 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE & DERBYSHIRE

ART GALLERY

Level Centre, Rowsley

Jarva Gallery, Whaley Bridge

Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham

The Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate

Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derby

BOOKSHOP

High Peak Bookstore & Café, Buxton

Dormouse Books, Belper

The Book Case, Lowdham

Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham

Scarthin Books, Cromford

LIFESTYLE STORE

The Bottle Kiln, West Hallam

Handmade Design, Ashbourne

Alphabet Gift Shop, Mickleover

Handmade Nottingham, Nottingham

Design 44, Derby

 

NORFOLK

ART GALLERY

Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich

Cromer Artspace, Cromer

Gallery Plus, Wells-Next-The-Sea

Maná Art, Aylsham

The Giggly Goat, Norwich

BOOKSHOP

Bookbugs & Dragon Tales, Norwich

By The Book, Hunstanton

Not Just Books, Thetford

The Book Hive, Norwich

The Holt Bookshop, Holt

LIFESTYLE STORE

Doodlebug Designs, Norwich

Hilary & Alice, Diss

Norfolking Around, Holt

The Scented Barn, Holt

The Watering Can, Sprowston

 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

ART GALLERY

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Northampton

The Heseltine Gallery, Middleton Cheney

Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby

Yardley Arts, Yardley Hastings

78 Derngate, Northampton

BOOKSHOP

Heyford Books, Northampton

Magazine Heaven, Rushden Lakes

The Old Hall Bookshop, Brackley

The Oundle Bookshop, Oundle

The Reading Tree, Weedon

LIFESTYLE STORE

Abraxas, Northampton

The Simple Interior Company, Daventry

Lime Blue, Castle Ashby

Sheaf Street Health Store, Daventry

The Rounded House, Oundle

 

SUFFOLK & CAMBRIDGESHIRE

ART GALLERY

Artique Galleries, Cambridge

The Artists’ Marquee, Burwash Manor, Barton

Gallerie V, Cambridge

VK Gallery, St Ives

Jessica Muir Gallery, Long Melford

BOOKSHOP

Dial Lane Books, Ipswich

Topping & Company Booksellers Of Ely, Ely

Harris & Harris Books, Clare

Stillwater Books, Felixstowe

Story Time With Molly, St Neots

LIFESTYLE STORE

Adorn, Ramsey

Posy, Lavenham

Buy The Light, Bury St Edmunds

Little White Box, Lavenham

Frankie’s Of Hadleigh, Hadleigh

 

SURREY

ART GALLERY 

Wyecliffe Galleries, Weybridge

Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, Compton

New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham

The Art Buyer, Thames Ditton

New House Art Space, Guildford

BOOKSHOP

Sam Beare Bookshop, Weybridge

Denny’s Books, Thames Ditton

The Haslemere Bookshop, Haslemere

Lionsheart Bookshop, Woking

Word On The Street, Ashtead

LIFESTYLE STORE

Bumbles, Ashtead

La Maison Boutique, Oxted

The Reigate Pop Up, Reigate

The Lost Sheep, Caterham

Split Figs, Shere

 

SUSSEX

ART GALLERY

Two Face Twins, Worthing

Pier Road Coffee & Art, Littlehampton

Greenfinch, Ticehurst

Katherine Richards Art Gallery, Hove

Newlands House Gallery, Petworth

BOOKSHOP

Heygates Bookshop, Bognor Regis

Rother Books, Battle

The Book Ferret, Arundel

Steyning Bookshop, Steyning

Bags Of Books, Lewes

LIFESTYLE STORE

Scent Lounge, Arundel

Blossom & Roar, Cuckfield

13 Prints, Haywards Heath

Simply Rye, Rye

Augustus Brandt, Petworth

 

WARWICKSHIRE

ART GALLERY

Compton Verney, Compton Verney

Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry

LSA Art Room, Leamington Spa

Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, Rugby

Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

BOOKSHOP

The Bookshop On The Green, Bournville

Warwick Books, Warwick

Kenilworth Books, Kenilworth

Astley Book Farm, Nuneaton

Hunt’s, Rugby

LIFESTYLE STORE

Berylune, Leamington Spa

Warwickshire Artisans, Wootton Wawen

Henderson Hound, Leamington Spa

The Artibus Yard, Kenilworth

Kin, Edgbaston

 

WILTSHIRE

ART GALLERY 

Fisherton Mill, Salisbury

The Corsham Gallery, Corsham

White Chalk Gallery, Devizes

Gallery 21, Salisbury

Oink Gallery, Swindon

BOOKSHOP

The Corsham Bookshop, Corsham

Bert’s Books, Swindon

Devizes Books, Devizes

The White Horse Bookshop, Marlborough

The Rocketship Bookshop, Salisbury

LIFESTYLE STORE

Watershaus, Devizes

Previous Homewares, Corsham

Iris & Olive, Warminster

Sorelle Home & Gifts, Royal Wootton Bassett

Highworth Emporium, Highworth

Top: Voting for Muddy Stilettos finalists ends on Sunday, 4 June

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